Dispenser



Feb. 25, 1964 s. P. NEBASH 3,

DISPENSER Filed Jan. 30, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 SIan Iey l le h lam/ J4 771%7 J n HIS ATTORNE Y5 S. P. NEBASH Feb. 25, 1964 DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1961 2% m .S E 3% M w a VN med A v w WH m I w United States Patent 3,122,334 DISPENSER Stanley P. Nebash, Pittsburgh, Pa, msignor to Fisher Scientific Company, Pittsburgh, Pin, a corporation of Pennsylvania I Filed Jan. 39, 1961, Ser. No. 85,886 Claims. (Cl. 24255.53)

My invention is directed to a dispenser for a ribbon of material. This material is wound in a coil which is positioned within the dispenser and the ribbon is fed from the coil out of the dispenser in a single continuous strip.

My dispenser is inexpensive and, therefore, disposable once the material is completely used. The dispenser is simple and compact in construction, extremely easy to use, maintains the material clean and requires no maintenance. Further, and of major importance, my dispenser provides easy access to the ribbon material and provides a ribbon of any desired length for use.

In the drawings, I have shown a presently preferred embodiment of my invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of the dispenser in full open feed position, with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section taken on line II-ll of FIGURE 1 with the ribbon removed for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the dispenser in closed position;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section taken on line IVIV of FIGURE 3 with the ribbon removed for clarity;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross section taken on line VV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken on line VI-VI of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross section taken on line VIIVII of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 8 is an isometric view of the dispenser in disassembled condition.

Briefly, my invention includes a hollow cylindrical enclosure having opposed side walls which enclose a coil of ribbon material, and an opening in the cylindrical wall through which the ribbon of material exits from the enclosure. The ribbon material may be a coil of pI-I test paper. A manually operated closure member for opening and closing the exit from the enclosure is integrally afflxed to one of the cylindrical walls of the enclosure. A locking lug is provided on the enclosure to retain the closure member in closed position, thereby sealing off the inside of the enclosure and clamping the outer end of the ribbon to prevent it from being rewound into the dispenser. My invention also includes unique locking hooks which'permit the walls of the enclosure to be snapped together in a simple manner for assembling the dispenser.

The dispenser is preferably fabricated from a clear plastic such as polystyrene or butyrate.

The dispenser includes an outer drum enclosure and an inner drum enclosure 16 (see FIGURE 8). The outer drum enclosure includes a circular end wall 17 having a flange 18 afiixed perpendicular to and around the periphery of the circular wall. The flange 13 encircles and encloses the entire end wall 17 with the exception of about 55 of the periphery at the upper side which is open at 19 as shown in FIGURE 1. A stud 20 is integrally molded to the inside of the side wall 17 and provides a portion of an axle about which a roll 21 of ribbon material rotates.

A second inwardly directed stud 22 is integrally affixed to the inner face of the side wall 17. Stud 22 is located on a line drawn from the center stud 20 to the edge of the open area 19 as shown in FIGURE 1. The ribbon of material from roll 21 passes between stud 22 and the end of flange 18 and then through an opening 19. The stud 22 prevents rewind of the ribbon on the coil when the dispenser is open as in FIGURE 1.

Three approximately equally spaced slots 23 are located in side wall 17 with a portion of the slot extending inwardly into flange 18 to provide an outwardly facing edge 23a, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4.

A transversely extending groove 24 is located on the inner face of flange 18 arid a second transversely extending groove 25 is located immediately adjacent the groove 24 and separated therefrom by a small transverse portion of the inner face. The grooves 24 and 25 are located in the proximity of the open portion 19 of the flange 18.

A tearing plate 26 is integrally affixed to enclosure 15 substantially tangentially to flange 18. The plate 26 has a raised ridge 27 along one edge and a slot 23 along the other edge. A second plate 29 is aflixed perpendicular to plate 26 and extends downwardly and is afiixed to flange 18. The outer face of plate 29 has raised edges 3% which the users finger can engage in operating the dispenser.

The enclosure 16 fits slidably inside the enclosure 15 and the enclosures rotate relative to each other. The enclosure 16 includes a circular end wall 31 and an integral peripheral flange 32. The flange 32 is aflixed perpendicular to and around the periphery of the wall 31 with the exception of about 20 of the periphery at the upper side which is open at 33, as shown in FIGURE 3. A stud 34 integral with the inner face of Wall 31 provides an axle, in conjunction with stud 20, about which the coil 21 rotates.

Three approximately equally spaced hooks 35 are affixed to the inner edge of flange 32 and positioned such that one hook enters each of the slots 23 in wall 17. An edge of each hook 35 engages the edge 23a of slot 23 and holds the enclosures 15 and 16 together (see FIGURES 2 and 4). The slots 23 are about 35 in length and hooks 35 are about 13 in length (with the middle of side 31 functioning as the center for measurement); thus the enclosures 15 and 16 can move in a rotary motion about 20 relative to each other to open and close the top of the dispenser as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

A lug 36 integral with the outer face of flange 32 engages the grooves 24- and 25, as shown in FIGURE 7. Thus, as the enclosures 15 and 16 are slidably rotated relative to each other, the lug 36 is engaged in and disengaged from the slot 24. When lug 36'is engaged in slot 24, the dispenser is locked in closed position, as shown in FIG- URE 3. When the enclosures 15 and 16 are rotated to an open position, as shown in FIGURE 1, the lug 36 disengages from slot 24 and enters into slot 25.

A top tearing plate 37 is aifixed to a closure structure 40 which is integral with flange 32. Structure 4% has ridges 41 thereon which are engaged by the thumb of the user during operation of the dispenser. The plate 37 has a downwardly projecting ridge 3% along one side edge which enters into the slot 28 in the plate 26 and a slot 39 along the other side edge into which the ridge 27 of the plate 26 enters, thereby preventing sidewise movement of the ribbon 21a.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, the closure 4% can move only a limited peripheral distance from the position shown in FIGURE 3 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 due to the limitations of opening 19. The strip material 21a passes from the roll 21, into the area between the plates 26 and 37, as shown in FIGURE 1. The ribbon 21a springs upward as shown in FIGURE 1 with the stud 22 functioning as a stop about which the ribbon can are when the edge of flange 32 contacts it. The closure 49 is moved to the left by the operator from the position shown in FIGURE 1 to a position shown in FIGURE 3, thereby locking the strip 21a between the plates 26 and 37, as shown in FIGURE 5, and remains locked in this position due to engagement of lug 36 in groove 24. The desired amount of ribbon material extends beyond the left side of plate, 26 as viewed'in FIGURES 1 and 7, and is torn otl along the transverse outer edges of plates 26 and 37. The transverse outer edges of plates 25 and 37 permit tearing of the ribbon in either an up or down direction. The procedure is then reversed to feed more ribbon material. The closure 43 is moved to the position of FIGURE 1, the operator grasps the end of the ribbon located between plates 26 and 37 and pulls the desired amount from the coil.

While I have described a presently preferred embodiment of my invention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for delivering a continuous strip of material from a coil of the material inside the dispenser, comprising a first hollow cylindrical enclosure having an integral end wall, a second hollow cylindrical enclosure having an integral end Wall, the second enclosure being positioned in the first enclosure with the cylindrical walls f the enclosures being in sliding engagement and the end Walls in face-to-face relationship to each other, an opening in the cylindrical wall of each enclosure, said openings being movable into alignment by rotation of the enclosures relative to each other, the aligned openings providing an exit from the dispenser for the strip of material, means maintaining the cylindrical Walls of the enclosures in sliding engagement with each other, a first plate affixed to the cylindrical wall of the first enclosure adjacent the opening in the cylindrical wall of the first enclosure, a second plate affixed to the cylindrical wall of the second enclosure adjacent the opening in the cylindrical wall of the second enclosure and movable with the second enclosure to engage the first plate, said strip of material passing from a coil of the material within the enclosures out through the openings in the cylindrical walls and between said plates, and a stud secured to the inside of the end wall of said first hollow cylindrical enclosure extending transversely of the space between the end walls of the enclosures and located adjacent to and spaced from said openings in said cylindrical walls.

2. A dispenser as described in claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining the enclosures in siidin engagement with each other comprises a plurality of slots in the end wall of the first enclosure, and a plurality of hooks integral with the cylindrical walls of the second enclosure and extending into locking engagement within said slots, said hooks being slidable within the slots to permit relative rotational movement of the enclosures.

3. A dispenser as described in claim 1 and having an axially extending groove on the inside of the cylindrical wall of the first enclosure, and an axially extending stud on the outside of the cylindrical wall of the second enclosure, said stud entering and releasably loclring the enclosures together upon rotational movement of the enclosures relative to each other.

4. A dispenser as described in claim 1 wherein said first and second plates have mating ridges and grooves along their side edges, such that said strip of material is prevented from moving sidewise when positioned between the engaged plates with the ridges and grooves in engagement.

5. A dispenser as described in claim 1 in which said first plate of said first enclosure extends approximately tangentially from the edge of the opening in the cylnidrical wall of the first enclosure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,201,305 Springer May 21, 1940 2,547,569 Erhardt Apr. 3, 1951 2,709,049 Weis May 24, 1955 2,710,152 Jones June 7, 1955 

1. A DISPENSER FOR DELIVERING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF MATERIAL FROM A COIL OF THE MATERIAL INSIDE THE DISPENSER, COMPRISING A FIRST HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL ENCLOSURE HAVING AN INTEGRAL END WALL, A SECOND HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL ENCLOSURE HAVING AN INTEGRAL END WALL, THE SECOND ENCLOSURE BEING POSITIONED IN THE FIRST ENCLOSURE WITH THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS OF THE ENCLOSURES BEING IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT AND THE END WALLS IN FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, AN OPENING IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF EACH ENCLOSURE, SAID OPENINGS BEING MOVABLE INTO ALIGNMENT BY ROTATION OF THE ENCLOSURES RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, THE ALIGNED OPENINGS PROVIDING AN EXIT FROM THE DISPENSER FOR THE STRIP OF MATERIAL, MEANS MAINTAINING THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS OF THE ENCLOSURES IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER, A FIRST PLATE AFFIXED TO THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF THE FIRST ENCLOSURE ADJACENT THE OPENING IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF THE FIRST ENCLOSURE, A SECOND PLATE AFFIXED TO THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF THE SECOND ENCLOSURE ADJACENT THE OPENING IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF THE SECOND ENCLOSURE AND MOVABLE WITH THE SECOND ENCLOSURE TO ENGAGE THE FIRST PLATE, SAID STRIP OF MATERIAL PASSING FROM A COIL OF THE MATERIAL WITHIN THE ENCLOSURES OUT THROUGH THE OPENINGS IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS AND BETWEEN SAID PLATES, AND A STUD SECURED TO THE INSIDE OF THE END WALL OF SAID FIRST HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL ENCLOSURE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THE END WALLS OF THE ENCLOSURES AND LOCATED ADJACENT TO AND SPACED FROM SAID OPENINGS IN SAID CYLINDRICAL WALLS. 